see you around, Asa. Thank you again.”
He grabbed her hand, stopping her from fleeing. “You don’t have to leave. You’re not interfering with anything.”
“We didn’t have plans,” his mother added. “I was just stopping by. You shouldn’t be alone when you have a concussion. Sit down on the couch and I’ll make you some tea. Have you eaten anything today?”
“No ma’am, but—”
“No buts. You take yourself over to the couch this moment. Asa, help me find the tea and use that app on your phone to order us something for lunch. Italian, I think. Or maybe deli. What do you think, Hallie?”
“Whatever you want, Dr. Andersen.”
“I think you need pasta and bread. It’s settled. Go sit down now and I’ll bring you your tea.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Hallie did as she was told, leaving Asa and his mother heading to his kitchen.
“That girl is just darling. I like her already. A much different direction than your usual conquest. What’s her story?”
“She’s not one of my conquests. She’s my neighbor. She’s a high school teacher at Wheatly Academy.”
His mother gave an approving nod. “I’ve heard great things about Wheatly. They take brilliant but at-risk youth and prepare them for college. They only hire the most qualified teachers. Your girlfriend must be bright.”
“She is bright. Her dream is to become a college professor, but she’s not my girlfriend.”
“A college professor! Why didn’t you tell me about her sooner?” She rummaged through his cabinet for the tea he kept there just for her.
“There’s nothing to tell. I barely know her.”
She slanted a brow at him. “I saw the way you looked at her. Sweet, pretty, educated. She’s perfect for you. Maybe I’ll finally get some grandchildren. Your sister has been married for nearly two years and stubbornly refuses to give me one. Maybe if she knows she’s in competition with you it will speed her up.”
“She’s enjoying traveling with her husband. Carlos just retired from baseball at the end of the season.”
“You’ve both done enough traveling.” She touched his face. “Don’t ruin this for me, Asa. I might never like another one of your girlfriends again.”
Hallie snuggled into the warm, hard surface she was sleeping on. She had slept on softer mattresses but she liked the feeling of this one. She had been so cold since she had been in New York, like a chill had seeped to her bones and never let up. But tonight it was finally gone and for once she felt warm and protected. It was when she felt a hand gently rest on her cheek that she realized that her warm, hard mattress was a warm, hard body.
She remembered where she was and she knew that she should move, but she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to lose this feeling that she was sure she would never have again while she was here, but she lifted her head and looked up at Asa. “I can’t believe you let me fall asleep on you.”
“You needed to sleep. You injured your brain. It needs rest to recover.”
She was feeling a little better despite the stiffness in her body. The Andersens had really taken care of her today. Dr. Andersen had bossed her around, ordered her to put her feet up and eat more and drink extra fluids. It was heavenly. She hadn’t been mothered in a long time. It was nice to experience it, even if it came from someone else’s mother. “Where is your mother? She must think I’m awful.”
“She went home about two hours ago.”
“Two hours ago! How long have I been out?”
“You went down about a half hour before she left.”
“You let me sleep on you that long?”
“It started out with just your head on my shoulder, but you curled up like that a half hour ago or so.”
“You should have woken me.”
“I didn’t see a reason to.”
“What did your mother say about me? ‘Where on earth did you find that dizzy girl? And do you always let women you barely know use your bathroom?’” She could only imagine what the beautiful, proper professor thought about the strange woman with the head injury who had somehow gotten involved with her son. “I can’t imagine a worse first impression to make.”
“She likes you.”
“She was being polite.”
Asa shook his head. “Trust me, Hallie. If my mother didn’t like you she would make it known. My mother may have excellent manners, but she has no problem stating her opinion. She had my last girlfriend in tears their first meeting.”
“Oh. I can see that. She scares me a little. Why didn’t she like your last girlfriend?”
“She called herself Bambi and when she met my mother she was wearing a top that was so low-cut you could see... All the gifts God gave her. Plus she wore jeans that were cut so low you could see her thong.”
“I think your mother should have made you cry. Why would you bring home a woman like that when you knew your parents would be disapproving? It’s like you set that poor lady up.”
“I didn’t. My parents were in the city and asked if they could take us to lunch. I wasn’t planning on introducing them that day. Bambi was dressed like that when I picked her up and I didn’t feel like it was my place to ask or tell her to wear something that would please my mother. Would you want a man telling you how to dress?”
He had a point. “No. My ex was like that. I was supposed to dress a certain way. Speak a certain way. Behave a certain way. All to keep up with the image he had crafted. I hated it.”
“What’s wrong with the way you speak, dress and behave?”
“I just wasn’t right. My ex-fiancé is a Realtor who specializes in luxury properties. It was a small family business that he had grown over the years. He wanted to cater to the wealthy jet-set crowd and celebrities and I was supposed to be.... I’m not sure who or what he wanted me to be, but in the end I couldn’t deliver.”
“Thank God for that. You shouldn’t be with a man who doesn’t think you’re good enough.”
“I knew it was going to end when he asked me to straighten my hair. I had worn it straight sometimes, but he asked me to wear it straight whenever I accompanied him somewhere special. I told him no. He barely spoke to me for three days. When we broke up, I cut it short and haven’t seen a flatiron since.”
“I like your curls. They’re beautiful.” He lifted his hand to her hair and sunk his fingers deep inside her ringlets. It was not something she normally let anyone do. But she didn’t mind him doing it. She liked his soothing
